In making a dress, shirt or blouse --hereinafter referred to generically as a dress--, it is customary to take darts in the material forming the front portion in order to provide the fullness and shape required to accommodate the bosom of the wearer. These darts customarily extend in from the sides of the material which is to form the front of the garment and are located a short distance below the armholes. The location and depth of the dart are customarily shown on the dress pattern. However, if the dart is made in accordance with the pattern the garment may or may not fit the intended wearer.
Brassieres are made in different cup sizes to fit different figures. The cup sizes are designated A, B, C and D, A being the smallest cup size and D the largest. Dress patterns on the other hand come in different sizes according to the stature of the wearer but do not come in different cup sizes. Usually, patterns are designed to fit a woman having a medium or "B" cup size. Hence, if the dress is cut according to the pattern, it will be too full for a woman having an "A" cup size and not full enough for a woman having a "C" or "D" cup size. It is hence necessary for a dressmaker to attempt to adjust the depth of the darts according to the cup size of the intended wearer. However, this has heretofore been done only by guess and hence the results have dependent on the experience and skill of the dressmaker and on chance.